St. Jude Radiothon 2024
CLOSE

With the majority of their time spent handling domestic and international issues, many wonder how President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama fit in time to work out.

White House trainer Cornell Mccllelan makes sure they make time.

Known as a “master tormenter” around the White House, Mccllelan not only trains the First Lady, but most of the White House staff.

“He has this gift where he works you pretty hard and you don’t even realize it,” said Mr. Axelrod, a former senior adviser to the president who shed 25 pounds on Mr. McClellan’s watch. “And then you go home and you can’t lift up your arms.”

Mr. McClellan grew up practicing martial arts, eventually earning a black belt, and as a college student realized that he had a knack for working with people. He owns Naturally Fit, a personal training and wellness center in Chicago, and now spends part of his week in Washington at Mr. Obama’s request.

“It was an easy sell for me, because I thought of it as kind of a duty, to serve the president,” said Mr. McClellan, who works out with the first couple, often in the early morning, at the gym in the White House residence. Mr. and Mrs. Obama both try to exercise for at least an hour every day, and Mr. McClellan says he usually sees them two to four times a week, depending on their schedules.

The president, a well-known fitness buff, does a mixture of cardio and strength training and spends his free time playing basketball and golf. “He is very motivated and he loves to work, so that makes it very easy for me,” Mr. McClellan said.

read full story

article courtesy of Newsone.com/nytimes.com

Leave a Reply